Device for showing the names of the streets or stops



J. OVENS March 3, 1931.

DEVICE won snowme THE mums OF THE'STREETS on STOPS Filed Sept. 2. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l n. 3 L m a Y o 2 3 .HEEHLW 4 X/H Q22 WM -H MZE o a JHMES OVENS,

INVENTOR.

TORNEY.

March 3, 1931. J. OVENS 1,794,729

DEVICE rtOR SHOWING THE NAMES OF THE STREETS 0R STOPS Filed Sept. 2, 192 3 Sheets-Sheet, 2

Jams Ova/s.

' INVENTOR.

7 TORNEYS.

March 3, 1931. J. ovENs ,729

DEVICE FOR SHOWING THE NAMES OF THE STREETS OR STOPS Filed Sept. 2. 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 3 Jlmza Ovews,

INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

a UNITED [STA Patented Mar. 3, 1931 JAMES 'ovnns, or roRon'rqonrAmo, 'GANAZDA DEVICE FOR snowme rnn NAMES on THE s'rnnnrs oR-sms; '11. 1

App1icati on fiieq September 2,19%. Serial No. 217,162.

This invention jrelates to a device for showing the names of the streets or stops,

and particularly for use in connection'with tramways. The construction provides the .5 showing of a grouping of streets in such a manner that a visual indication of the street or stop just having been passed, the street or stop next coming and the succeeding street or stop, will appear so that'the person may easily realize the streets or stops as they are approached and are passed.

' The object of my invention is to facilitate travel and to render a machine of sim le construction with parts readily access le for inspection and repair. p

With theforegoing and other objects in view, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of the'novel construction, combination and arrangement of co-operating elements as hereinafter more specifically set forth, claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of the present application, in which: n V Fig. 1 isa perspective view of the preferred embodiment of my invention, part of the casing broken away so as to more clearly illustrate the featuresof my construction. Fig. 2 is a front plan view, of'theend of 3D the casing showing the. vision opening through which the indication strip appears.

. Fig. 3 is adetail view of one oftheswitch.

control members.

Fig. a is, a side I plan fviewl of my tr p control. p

r Fig. '5jis a front plan view of my trip control, and j Fig. 6.is a schematic illustration of the n coacting switches and their connection. 1

Fig.1? is a detail view .of the rollers, showing the clutch members of the reversing mechanism. FigJS'isan enlarged detail VIGWSllOWll'lg 4 the adjustable mounting for the adjustment pulley.

Fig. 9 is anenlarged:detail viewl of. ratchet connection viewed from the sideopposite to that shown in Fig. 1

59 '.Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail 'viewshow' 'v 22 and 23 are the-casing 7 and provided with, pulleys 24 h ing theinternal structure of one of the coni Q trol switches.

Likenumerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the different vlews.

7 is a casing of any suitable size. adapted. for supporting and encasing "certain of the moving parts hereinafter described. This casing is .provided. at. one end i with as vision Opening; 8, .the purpose ofrwhich will'be 6.0

hereinafter mentioned; 9 is amotor mounted in the. casingZ. .10and 1-1'are spaced 7 apart rollers, having'a suitable .xmounte'd I connection with the-teasing. At the" endiof eachof the respective rollers ..10:and 11,1

provide a clutch"member:12land. 14'-,'Which clutch members areicontrolled by thelever '15, fulcrumed on the bearin'g16.. The lever has suitable connections as at: 17.10. the clutch member 14: and as at 18to the clutch .7 member 12. On moving this lever'15 on its fulcru'med ,point 16, the clutch; member 12 maybe thrown out ofoperable connection" with the rollerlO. Simultaneously with this operat on, the clutchmember 14 will be thrown into operable connectionywith. thje roller 11 or vice versa.1 The clutch members 12and1l are provided, on their outer circumference, with a surface over ,which the belt 19- is-t'rained: This belt" also extendsiiso' around the drive pulley 20 of .the;1notor:9 i and around the idler-pulley 21, which; pulley I is so mounted inablocksuitablysu ported l 'from'the casings as to. be adjusted on orcontroll ng-the tightening ofthe belt 19 asmay .bejdesired. V U; v is rollers suitably mounted in -and"25. The pulleys are not fastened solid tothe'shafts on Whichthe rollers; 22and23 H arefmounted, but each have a ratchet connec- I p 7 tion' to their respective shafts, so that the respectivefipulley will turnfonly {when its respectivelroller islturned inthedesire-ddiA recti'on while the other-pulleywill beidlegas I 26 isa casing, having .a switch} compartinent 27. 231s a knife, switch carried on thei inner end 'of the shaft 29.'*;Mounted.on-theinner contour of. the switch compartment. f are four contact points, .30, 31, SZ- andj i the contact points 30 and 32 being provided with a joining buss bar 34. 35 is frusto-conical-shaped pulley having a series of annular grooves thereon which vary in size according to their position on the outer contour of the frusto-conical pulley 35. This frusto-conical-shaped pulley is mounted on the shaft 29. The ,end bearing 71 of, the

frusto-conical-shaped pulley 35 is interiorlythreaded, which threading operates in conjunction with the threaded portion 7 2 of the shaft 29 when it is found necessary to move the pulley 35 in'either direction, the setscrew 73 bein desi ned to retain it in its fixed re lationship under normal conditions. 36 is a flexible connection trained over the pulley-35 and the pulleys 24 and 25. 37-" is an idler pulley adjustably'mounted for taking up the slack in the flexible connection 36. In de signing these pulleys 24, and 35, the outer.

circumference of the pulleys 24 and '25 will 7 be ofthe samesize, while the circumference curedto the roller 10. The belt i's'trained over the roller 22, back around the roller 23, upover the roller 39, down around the roller 40 and the other end is attached to the roller 11. It will be noted that the belt f 38' is trained over the rollers- 22' and-23, so

as to rotate them in opposite directions, while the ends of the belt are} attached:to'the-roller 10 and 11, so that the belt will be wound up on these rollers in the same direction.

On the frontof the casing i, provided with the vision opening 8, it will be noted that three of the streets appear. If desired onthe V outerface of this end, 'anindication arrow tioned, which will be turned to show the di-.

With Wording such as at 41- may be placed, so

as to show" that the centre name is the next stop or street at which the tramway will stop.

Onthe opposite side of the'vision opening 8, a pivotal mounted arrow 42 may be posirection in which the belt 38 is travelling.- 43 is a trolley pole having the'usual trolley wheel 44 tensioned against the trolleyline45. At'each step along the route of travel, 'Ip'rovide a bracket 46 which is suitably supported by the guy wires 4'7 and at this point, the trolley line is supportedfrom the bracket 46. Suitably mounted on the trolley pole 43 a bracket 48 provided with anannular'bearing "49' at its upper end. 50 is' a shaft extending through the bearing 49 and provided at one '"end with a trip arm 51. At the other end, I provide a downwardly extended arm 52, the

bracket 46, the trip arm 51' will engage over the roller 54, which roller 54'will cause the free end of the trip arm 51 to swing upwardly, which will cause the free end of the arm 52 to swing rear-s ay 'asindicated by the arrow shown inFig. v

55 is a'chain control switch suitably mounted on the trolley pole 43 and operated by means of having its chain connected to a spring 56', which spring is connected to'the free end of the arm 52. This chain control switch 55. is of ordinary-construction and coacts with the switch in the compartment 27. The principle involved of co-acting switches of this nature is well-known to the art as double throw rotary switches and it is not considered necessary that a full description of the details of the switches will be necessary.

In Fig. 10 the switch 55is shown in detail 7 the chain pulling member TObeing attached to the s-ipring 56 as shown in Fig. 4. I do not wiQh to be limited to the interior construction of this switch, as many different principles of double throw rotary switches are on the open market andcan be adapted for use in connection with my construction; l/Vhen the contact blade of the switch 55 is in the position as shown in Fig. 6, the current flow to the motor .9 is cut off. 'VVhen the car in which my device is mounted comes to the next intersection,,the trip arm 51 will contact with the roller 54 and be moved thereby, whichwill cause the pull member 70 to be pulled out and throw the contact blade of the switch55 a one quarter turn, which'will connect the circuit from the wire 59, through the contact blade the contact blade in the switch 27 and through the wire 60 to the motor 9.

The rollers 22 and23, with their ratchet pulleys 24 and 25, are turned by the belt 38 which is trained over the same. I Only one of the pulleys 24 or 25 will be inoperative relationship to its respective roller by its ratchet connection, while the other pulley will turn as an idler. The rollers 22 an'd 23 are designed of a, size that-they will make one complete revolution while carrying the belt 33 on to showthe next succeeding stop indication. The flexible connection 36 carried over the pulleys 24 and'25 will turn the frusto conical pulley 35 one-quarter turn, in view of the ratio between these pulleys, which will throw the knife switch 28 a one-quarter turn. '57 and 58 are thewire connections beof the-switch 55, through the wire 57, through tweenithe switch 55 and the contact points in r the switch compartment 27. 59 is the wire connection to a suitable 'source'of supply,

such as the trolley pole 43. i 60 is the wire 7 connection from the buss bar in the switch compartment 27 to the motor 9." The motor i 9 may be grounded on the neutral side in a like manner to that of other motors used in tramway vehicles.

The foregoing specification and annexed drawings disclose the preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is to be understood. that minor changes may be resorted to in the commercial adaptation of my invention withp out departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim as new is: p

1. An indicator comprising a casing; a vision opening in said casing; a pair of rollers mounted in said casing; an indicia belt, the ends of which are respectively connected to 7 said rollers and said belt adapted to be wound from one to the other of said rollers, with a portion of said belt trained to register op posite said vision opening;vshafts each supporting a respective roller, belt pulleys each carried on a respective shaft and rotatable v tending around both of said belt pulleys, an

independently of the roller on said shaft, a motor, a belt driven by said motor and ex- I idler pulley around which said belt passes betweenits pointof engagementwith the belt pulleys, cooperating clutch members on said rollers and belt pulleys, and a shipper lover a pivoted intermediate its ends between said belt pulleys and engaging the same to simul-' taneously engage one belt pulley with its roller and disengage the other belt pulley from its roller.

2. An indicator for cars comprising a cas- 1 mg; a vlslon opening 1n said caslng; a pair of rollers mounted in said casing; an indicia belt, the ends. of which are respectively connected to said rollers and said belt adapted to be wound from one'to the other of said rollers, with a portion of said belt trained to register opposite said vision opening; a switch in said casing, a shaft operating said,

switch, a cone pulley 'on' saidshaft, means to secure the cone pulley in adjusted position on said shaft, apulley. driven by said 7 belt, a switch actuating belt connecting said belt pulley and said cone pulley; a switch 7 mounted: exteriorly of said casing; a trip means for operating said last mentioned switch; means positioned at pre-determined intervals-apart for actuating said trip means;

conductors, adapted to be. alternately ener-' gized upon actuation of last said switch to complete a c1rcu1t for causlng the movement of said rollers, which circuit is broken upon 7 V actuation of first said switch when. said belt has travelled. a pre-determined distance and e a means for reversing the direction of travel of said belt. v

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

JAMES OVENS. 

